Chongqing- Recently, Chongqing's two projects won the IFLA AAPME Awards 2022. One is Wuyun Lake Park in Shapingba District, and the other is Kowloon Bund in Jiulongpo District, all designed by T.Y.LIN International Engineering Consulting (China) Co., Ltd.
IFLA AAPME Awards 2022 is an international design award organized by the International Federation of Landscape Architects (IFLA) Asia Pacific region (APR), in collaboration with IFLA Africa and Middle East regions. IFLA is a UNESCO-directed organization representing tremendous professional influence in international landscape architecture.
Wuyun Lake Park received an honorable mention in the "Wildlife, Biodiversity, Habitat Enhancement or Creation" category, while Kowloon Bund received an honorable mention in the "Social and Community Health" category.
The Resilient Riverfront Design of The Kowloon Bund
To create a resilient riverfront, Kowloon Bund adopts the "seasonal use" as the design concept to continue the "Returning to the Yangtze River" project.
The Kowloon Bund in Jiulongpo District, Chongqing. (Photo provided to iChongqing)
Kowloon Bund's design adapts to the change in water level and creates an area of open tourist, rational utilization, and ecological forbidden. This project maximizes the protection and restoration of Yangtze River ecology, beautifying 1.8 kilometers of retaining walls and restoring 26 hectares of fluctuating areas.
He Hongmei, the designer of Kowloon Bund, said the project faced two challenges. First, many hydro-fluctuation belts exist in the region. The Three Gorges Reservoir impoundment and summer floods greatly affect the seasonal water level difference.
He proposed growing plants at different altitudes to utilize the riverfront to solve this problem. For example, they planted native plants and flood-tolerant grasses, such as bermudagrass, in the 165-170 meter elevation zone. The 170-175 meter elevation zone has been transformed into a high-grass-meadow complex dominated by reeds. An elevation zone of 175-186 meters is characterized by shrub grass compound communities dominated by mulberries.
The artificial green wall at the Kowloon Bund. (Photo provided to iChongqing)
The second difficulty was Chongqing's urban space was built on mountains, and the height difference in the riverside area was vast, according to He.
Kowloon Bund has a height difference of nearly 85 meters, making it difficult for residents to enjoy riverside recreation. Therefore, the team used overpasses, ramps, steps, and other facilities to connect the urban hinterland with the riverside space.
Furthermore, Kowloon Bund uses an open and flat square to create a childlike bund, where children can climb, play, run and fly kites in the riverside area.
Kowloon Bund uses an open and flat square to create a childlike bund. (Photo provided to iChongqing)
He introduced that the Kowloon Bund is equipped with solar-powered smart seats, which can provide both wired and wireless charging modes for mobile phones.
The fitness area of the Kowloon Bund also has intelligent outdoor fitness equipment with solar panels. When citizens start running, the electronic screen automatically records their exercise time, frequency, and calories burned. It is possible to manage citizens' exercise more effectively by combining fitness with technology.
Ecological Restoration of Wuyun Lake Park
Based on the current situation of the site and the future development strategy of the Shapingba District, Wuyun Lake Park is planted with osmanthus, jacaranda, camphor, red plum, red maple, and cedar.
The WuYun Lake Park in Shapingba District, Chongqing. (Photo provided to iChongqing)
The design of Wuyun Lake Park must address various challenges, including water treatment, mountain terrain grooming, and earthwork balance, according to Yang Jing, the park's designer.
Plant leaves now display different colors during different growth periods, creating a colorful ecological landscape, and the complete greenway around the lake provides 2.1 kilometers of barrier-free access.
The aerial view of Wuyun Lake Park. (Photo provided to iChongqing)
Yang explained that Wuyun Lake served as an irrigation reservoir. "We must maintain the park's aesthetics, but we cannot change its functionality simultaneously." Yang and his team calculated many models to achieve the appropriate balance between aesthetics and functionality.
Wuyun Lake Park also has smart facilities, including visual management, a wireless network, public broadcasting, environmental monitoring, and automatic irrigation.
An interesting fluorescent road has been laid in the park. The stones on the road are mixed with fluorescent materials, which absorb sunlight during the daytime and form a luminous pavement at night.
The fluorescent road in WuYun Lake Park, Shapingba District, Chongqing. (Photo provided to iChongqing)
Until last year, Chongqing's forest coverage rate reached 54.5%, and the urban greening rate has also increased significantly. Due to the mountainous terrain, Chongqing pays special attention to the green covering of the slopes and cliffs.
This August, several mountain fires occurred, and Chongqing aims to pay more attention to the environment and safety after the restoration.
(Zhu Qinzhuo, as an intern, also contributed to this report.)